Sanofi continues to focus on messenger RNA and is accelerating: in addition to recent major investments, the French pharmaceutical giant announced Tuesday, August 3, that it was going to acquire the American specialist Translate Bio.

"Sanofi will acquire Translate Bio and accelerate the deployment of mRNA technology in the development of vaccines and therapeutic agents," the French group announced in a press release.

The transaction, which is due to close in the third quarter, values ​​Translate Bio at $ 3.2 billion - or 2.7 billion euros.

The American is in the same niche as his compatriot Moderna and the German BioNTech, names that the general public discovered during the Covid-19 pandemic.

They all bet on messenger RNA.

This technology has experienced rapid development with the health crisis, when it was previously considered an uncertain bet.

The vaccines developed by BioNTech - with the American Pfizer - and Moderna were among the first to be authorized against Covid-19 and are, for the time being, the most effective.

Unlike a conventional vaccine, which uses a weakened or neutralized version of a virus, messenger RNA technology introduces a genome sequence directly into cells to generate antibodies to recognize and kill the virus. .

>> To read: Messenger RNA, the innovative technology behind Pfizer and Moderna's vaccines against Covid-19

Sanofi itself is already working closely with Translate Bio on a project for a messenger RNA vaccine against the coronavirus, which is still at an early stage since it has not yet been tested on a large scale.

But, if the Covid-19 revealed this technology to the general public and considerably accelerated its development, its promises far exceed this single disease.

BioNTech, for example, announced a malaria vaccine project last month.

More broadly, the pioneers of messenger RNA promise to respond to a huge range of diseases, ranging from AIDS to several types of cancer.

Influenza mRNA vaccine project

Sanofi does not want to miss this turning point.

The French giant had already, a few weeks ago, announced a vast program of investments in messenger RNA - two billion euros by 2025 - including the creation of a specialized research center.

He intends to develop several vaccines, targeting infectious diseases, but remains discreet about his exact ambitions.

Sanofi has, however, already launched initial trials with Translate Bio for a seasonal flu vaccine, an announcement made in June.

The takeover of the American further accentuates this bet because Sanofi could have been satisfied with the already close partnership that linked it to Translate Bio.

This total takeover "will make it possible to exploit all the possibilities offered by messenger RNA," Paul Hudson, CEO of Sanofi, said in a statement Tuesday.

"We will also be able to accelerate the conduct of the development programs that we are currently carrying out in partnership" with Translate Bio, he added.

Lagging behind other groups in developing an anti-Covid-19 vaccine

Sanofi has, in fact, a lot of liquidity at its disposal, since it sold, in 2020, its share of another American partner Regeneron, a gigantic operation which enabled it to recover around ten billion euros.

The French giant must also respond to criticism in terms of innovation, in particular from French politicians who accuse it of not having been able to develop an anti-Covid-19 vaccine as quickly as other groups.

>> To read: Anti-Covid-19 vaccines: Pasteur and Sanofi, symbols of the decline in French research?

Sanofi promises to put on the market in December a first vaccine against Covid-19 - a project separate from its collaboration with Translate Bio and which is not based on messenger RNA -, nearly a year after the arrival of Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.

The group, as well as many observers from the pharmaceutical world, however, stressed that these delays remain extraordinarily rapid compared to the many years usually required to develop a vaccine.

With AFP

The summary of the week

France 24 invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you!

Download the France 24 application

google-play-badge_FR